So, my dumb self decided to upgrade my video card before checking my monitors. Turns out my monitors will not work with my shiny new XFX 7970. I did have two of these bad boys hooked up to my old video card:

My question is, how the eff' do I pick out a good monitor? Kind of at a lost considering my old ones were both recycling finds (I worked in an electronics recycling store and when working parts came in we could keep them if wanted to for parts) and this will be my first time buying a monitor. I've been eyeing getting two of the Acer G236HLBbd Black 23" (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009421) but kinda unsure. Would these be good for gaming or is there something better? (I prefer playing on Max or Ultra settings when possible and wanna see what this card can truly do)

I would get one with a faster response time, most decent monitors are 2ms, that one is 5ms, I honestly don't know how much of an effect it actually has but it's one less thing to worry about.

I'd also make sure the monitor had at least one HDMI input.

what input do the old monitors take? Just vga? No dvi at all?

@alternate: Yeah, they only take VGA unfortunately.

@Kidavenger: I'm assuming faster response time is like the refresh rate on a tv? (But in this case a lower number is better)

@MorkaiTheWolf said:

I'm currently staring at two of these at work. It is literally impossible to calibrate them so that they share the same color profile.

As for new monitors, stick with a brand you've heard of and make sure it doesn't have some weird native resolution. The one you linked should serve you just fine.

@MorkaiTheWolf said:

@alternate: Yeah, they only take VGA unfortunately.

@Kidavenger: I'm assuming faster response time is like the refresh rate on a tv? (But in this case a lower number is better)

You can get VGA to DVI adapters.

@MorkaiTheWolf: Take a look at the ASUS VS248H-P. This is the standard "good" gaming monitor. It has a 2ms response time. This is the monitor that EVO uses for competitions so they are workhorses.

Yes, you're right it is tough to choose mostly because its price sensitive and people will argue specs until they are blue in the face. You can get a Asus VS24 for $160 on sale, normally around $200. If you can afford something better maybe think about a Dell Ultrasharp which is the other standard good monitor. If you want some reviews check out the Wirecutter (http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/dell-u2412m-monitor-best-monitor/) or the many many GAF forum posts where people fight out TN, 60Hz, and all those other marginal specs.

@Jams: I tried that but the XFX 7970 only has one port that can use active VGA to DVI adapters. The other one will not work unless it's hooked up via DVI.

@Ravenlight: I wish I had a monitor as nice as this at work. I'm currently using two 22" old tube monitors and the these things put so much strain on my eyes.

@MorkaiTheWolf: Lower is better, from what I've been reading, 5ms is good enough for most people and it's only ever detectable during fast movement in some first person shooters, and even then only if you are specifically looking for it.

@MorkaiTheWolf said:

@Jams: I tried that but the XFX 7970 only has one port that can use active VGA to DVI adapters. The other one will not work unless it's hooked up via DVI.

Oh right, One is DVI-D and the other id the analog version right? So you could use one but not both. Ever think of switching to one big ass monitor as opposed to two smaller ones?

For any decent monitor, response time is not really a thing anymore and tends to be one of those numbers that they use as a marketing buzz word to hype the product since it is usually derived via 'creative math'. I just went from a Samsung tft monitor that was rated with a 2ms response time to an ips Dell Ultrasharp with an 8ms response time and really cannot tell any difference or notice any kind of ghosting.

Its something you stare at for hours at a time. There are a handful of items I splurge on.

Cases, power supplies, mice, keyboard, and monitors are things that I don't upgrade often, but use very often, so I like to get something nice.

For a monitor, I find the Dell Ultrasharp monitors to be pretty good at a decent price range. If you never noticed ghosting on your old LCDs, you won't notice anything here. What you will notice though, are richer blacks, better colors, and wider viewing angles since they use IPS screens.

There's also this Asus IPS panel

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VS239H-P-23-Inch-Full-HD-Monitor/dp/B008DWITHI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1357769300&sr=8-3&keywords=ips+monitor

@Jams said:

@MorkaiTheWolf said:

@Jams: I tried that but the XFX 7970 only has one port that can use active VGA to DVI adapters. The other one will not work unless it's hooked up via DVI.

Oh right, One is DVI-D and the other id the analog version right? So you could use one but not both. Ever think of switching to one big ass monitor as opposed to two smaller ones?

I dunno to be honest. I had these two monitors and just loved the setup. Never thought about switching to one giant one though...